Work on the first phase of D1X began late in 2010, about the time that Oregon construction jobs began rebounding. Nationally, the construction sector hasn't enjoyed similar growth -- suggesting the scale of Intel's impact.Oregon Office of Economic Analysis

When Intel started construction on the first phase of its D1X research factory in 2010, the work coincided with a sustained uptick in state construction jobs, according to Josh Lehner of the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.

"That is very important for an industry that experienced a 35% employment decline from 2007 through 2010," Lehner wrote.

Intel hasn't said how many people will work on the second phase of construction -- which is actually somewhat bigger than the first. (In addition to the 1.1 million-square-foot factory, the second phase adds a 400,000 square-foot manufacturing support building and a 1 million-square-foot building split between industrial support and office space.)

The company had said as many as 8,000 construction workers would help build the first phase of the project, and Lehner sees the results in state jobs data.

The first phase of Intel's $3 billion research factory, called D1X, under construction in the summer of 2011.Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

"Oregon has seen nearly 4% employment gains in construction over the past two years," Lehner wrote, "while the nation has not seen any sustained increases."

Given the weakness in residential housing, and lack of employment gains in the national construction industry, Lehner wrote that Intel's project is most likely a key component in what's boosting Oregon.

Intel has said that it expects D1X will increase its Oregon employment by 800 to 1,000 when the first phase of the project opens next year. Growth in Intel's sector hasn't shown up yet, Lehner notes, but may as the new project comes online.

With nearly 17,000 Oregon employees, Intel accounts for 1 percent of statewide employment. Its wages are about 2.5 times larger than the state average.

"It is always encouraging to see a capital-rich company (both physical and human capital) like Intel effectively re-commit it's longer term operations to the state," Lehner wrote.